


Wretched and Divine

by jazzyjesse



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Blood, Canon-Typical Violence, Dancing, Drowning, Episode: c02e108 Traveler Con, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Literal Sleeping Together, Nightmares, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parallels, Pining, Secrets, Studying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:54:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 2,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27925600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jazzyjesse/pseuds/jazzyjesse
Summary: A series of prompts for Widobrave Week 2020
Relationships: Nott | Veth Brenatto/Caleb Widogast
Comments: 7
Kudos: 38





	1. Dancing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Widobrave Week day 1: dancing | fire & water
> 
> Veth and Caleb dance on the island of Vo

Bren Ermendrud was a good dancer. He knew how to waltz and how to distract someone long enough with their steps that Astrid and Wulf could do what needs to be done. Caleb Widogast is a similarly good dancer. His memory of the waltz he learned never faded and he could still step in time just fine. However, something about dancing with Veth made him stumble. 

Veth’s hands are so much warmer now that she’s back to herself. All of her is so much warmer, really. A part of Caleb wishes that he never returned her to her halfling form if only to be there to warm her up. That, of course, is a silly notion and one that Caleb folds away and tucks neatly into the section of his brain where all other untoward thoughts go. Though the warmth of her hands is distracting, it’s likely not the cause of his perfect timing faltering. Frankly, it must be her height. Why else would Caleb be hesitating and falling out of time to the music? 

Caleb isn’t sure how long they dance for, only that her brown eyes were rich enough to get lost in, that her laugh is angelic, and that the way her eyes almost disappear when she smiles hasn’t changed like so many other things have. 

By the time he dances himself and Veth over to Beauregard, they’re both sweating and grinning like fools. Caleb is down to his shirt and holsters, with his sleeves hastily shoved up his arms and one of Veth’s ribbons sits in his hair keeping it out of his face and off his neck. He’s sure they make quite a sight, but he can’t bring himself to care. Not when he and Veth are together. 

They talk about serious things but all the while there’s a voice in the back of his head saying screw it, dance with Veth again. Caleb pushes the thought aside and fingers the ribbon in his hair. It’s satin and his fingers glide against it. He can almost feel the warmth where Veth touched it as she plucked it from her necklace and tied Caleb’s hair up for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not having end notes is weird but i'm not sure what to put here for this one so just leave a comment and kudos


	2. Studying

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Widobrave Week day 2: trust | studying
> 
> Veth falls asleep while studying, Caleb takes care of her.

Veth’s eyes sting and her head aches distantly. She’s been up for well over thirteen hours now but she’s close to cracking this spell. She’s trying to make an alteration to Brenatto’s Voltaic Bolt to make it last for multiple bolts but it’s proving harder than she anticipated. One second she’s thumbing a piece of fleece pondering what angle to attack at next and the next someone’s shaking her shoulder. She grabs a bolt and goes for the stranger’s throat only to be greeted by Caleb. 

“You’ve been studying for quite some time, my little friend.” His hand brushes her hair back behind her ears. The tip flicks just a little causing him to smile fondly. 

“I”m  _ so _ close to finishing this,” She says with a whine. She sets the bolt back onto the desk anyway.

“You’ll be closer to finishing it when you are not asleep at the table, Veth.” Caleb’s hand goes to her shoulder. 

“I supposed you’re the expert on magic,” Veth says, putting her hand on his. Caleb takes her hand and, with a reverence Veth doesn’t deserve, brings it up and presses a kiss to her knuckles. 

“I know many things and one of them is that the desk is not a comfortable sleeping spot unless you are Frumpkin. Go to bed,  _ Liebling _ .” He brings his other hand up to cup Veth’s cheek. She leans into the touch before she even registers it. Veth nods with a yawn. 

“Alright, fine. But I’m not walking up the stairs I’m too tired.” Veth leans her forehead onto his arm and closes her eyes. It’s only then she realizes just how tired she is. 

“My room then. It’ll be like old times. I can even go roll in the dirt if you want.” Although she can’t see his face she can hear the smile in his voice. 

“Carry me.” 

“It will not be my fault if I drop you,  _ Schatz _ . You know I’m not that strong,” Caleb says, scooping Veth up regardless. 

“Don’t care. ‘M tired,” She mutters into his shoulder.

Caleb doesn’t drop her. He carries her from the library to his room just fine, it is only one doorway after all. He lays her down in the bed gently and moves to blow the candles out but a warm hand catches his own. 

“C’mere, ‘Leb.” Her face is smushed into the pillows and she’s barely audible, there’s no way Caleb can resist her. He slides in next to her, adjusts the blanket, and decided he’ll buy new candles tomorrow after he helps her with her studies. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i simply think its very cute when caleb calls her his "little friend" and they should have more nicknames for each other


	3. Hurt/Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Widobrave Week day 3: magic | hurt/comfort
> 
> Nott has a nightmare, Caleb helps her back to sleep. 
> 
> CW: there are descriptions of drowning in this one please feel free to skip if that's not good for you

Cold water surrounds her like a twisted facsimile of the womb. Scarp claws dig into her skin, drawing blood that mixes with the strong current. The one button she had managed to keep in her braid has fallen loose and is lost to the whims of the river. Her jaw is a vice clamped onto her teeth. The goblins hit the back of her head with something and in reflex, Veth gasps. 

The water burns white-hot as it pours into her lungs. She tries to cut it off but the damage has already been done. Water lines her lungs and the only way to get it out is to cough but to cough means to inhale which would only pour more water into her. Veth fights the hands holding her under with renewed fear. Her fight only serves to anger them; claws drag along her face and blood swirls in front of her obscuring her view of the river bed. 

Yeza and Luc should be back in Felderwin by now. They have to be. Luc is so young… if he and Yeza didn’t make it back- Veth pulls herself back to the excruciating present. She can’t think about that. She can’t think about what if her husband and son don’t make it. She refuses to let her death be in vain, and that’s what this is, isn’t it? Her death. The thought scares her but not as much as she thinks it probably should.

The water somehow turns even colder. Every drop of water rushing by is a thousand electric needles poking into her. It gets colder and colder. If she doesn’t drown she’ll surely freeze in the river she used to find solace at. The water bashes into her as the goblins shake her violently underwater. 

She wakes with a stuttered gasp. Caleb’s hands are on her shoulders. Her hands- no, her  _ claws _ are ripping into the blanket. Nott takes a moment to remind herself that Veth Brenatto is dead if only to stop herself from crying out for Luc. 

“Nott, it is alright.” Caleb’s voice is distant and muddled like she’s still underwater. She takes a moment to slow her breathing. 

“Did- did I wake you?” She asks sure that this is the final straw. Why would Caleb want to travel with a goblin that wakes him in the middle of the night with issues that belonged to a different woman?

“Only a little. I was not very deeply asleep.” His eyes meet hers in the dark. She knows he can’t see her very well but it feels like he’s looking through to her very core all the same. 

“I’ll sleep on the floor for the rest of the night. Sorry, Mr. Caleb.” She starts to climb off the bed but a hand grabs hers. Not her wrist, not her arm, her  _ hand _ . Nott looks up to Caleb. 

“Nonsense. We both know sleeping on the floor does not help with nightmares. If you’d like you can sleep up here with me rather than the foot of the bed,” Caleb blinks suddenly, “Because I’d be able to wake you faster if you’re having a nightmare.” Nott thinks she sees his cheeks darken just a bit but she’s not sure. 

“Who am I to say no to a powerful wizard?” Nott asks with false joviality.

She curls up in the space next to his chest and is instantly grateful. Caleb runs warm and she finds herself cold more often than not these days. He drapes his arm over her small frame and pulls her closer. Nott’s ear is pressed right against his chest where his heart beats quickly. Over the next few minutes, she listens as his heart rate and breathing slow. The low steady thump of his heart is much more comforting than the bone of his knees where she usually sleeps. 

Nott finds the fear of the nightmare nearly wiped away. It isn’t gone, not completely. She’s not sure the fear will ever leave her for more than a second, but the low thump of Caleb’s heart and the steady warmth he provides is more than enough to provide enough shelter from her fears for one night. The last thing she’s aware of before drifting to sleep is Caleb’s heartbeat. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im running later and later with getting these done lets hope i can get the rest of them done this week and not next


	4. Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Widobrave Week day 4: Secrets | Fluff
> 
> Veth thinks about her life.
> 
> CW: mentions of alcoholism and briefly suicidal ideation, this is a sad one please take care

Veth Brenatto lives a happy life. She has a husband and son, she has many friends, she has more money than she'd ever dreamed of, and she's even off adventuring and exploring the world. She has everything she's ever wanted including her body back… so why are Nott's problems still plaguing her? A nice rosé, she said. Whiskey is too strong now, she said. She knows the Nein are proud of her for giving up drinking but she hasn't, not really. She's just gotten better at hiding it. The alcohol dulled the sharp edges of an unbearable world for Nott. The world isn't so sharp anymore. Veth shouldn't still need it, but she does. 

Her flask may just be a rosé but it's also endless and Veth is but a bottomless hole of problems. The flask doesn't get her as drunk as it used to. The rosé isn't as strong but that hasn't stopped her, she just drinks from it more and more often. 

Mostly, she drinks around Caleb. Not because she doesn't like him anymore but because she likes him too much. Nott The Brave was single. Veth Brenatto is married. She shouldn't still be gazing at the curve of his nose or the blue of his eyes or the shine of his hair… but she does. 

She's sure Caleb has noticed, he's very intelligent. Thankfully he's also incredibly awkward so she's hedging her bets and hoping he won't bring anything up. 

Yeza has no clue about anything. He doesn't even know she  _ died _ . Oftentimes she wonders if she should have just stayed dead, not that she had any control over the matter. When she visits him she's the perfect Veth again. Wild, carefree, and passionate. Yeza doesn't see the Veth who drinks from her flask like her life depends on it, nor does he see the Veth that stays up late looking at the children's toys Caleb so lovingly crafted for her son. He doesn't see the Veth that looks at Caleb in a way she shouldn't. 

Veth Brenatto should have a happy life. She has everything she wants, only the thing is she doesn't. 

"Are you alright?" Caleb asks one night at dinner. Veth nods.

"Just a bit tired, today was rough." She lies easily. Caleb agrees and goes back to whatever the group is talking about. He doesn't see the way her eyes trace the curve of his nose up to the blue of his eyes and further still to the shine of his hair before dropping down to her lap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i didnt get this one done before midnight but i got it done nonetheless


	5. Parallels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Widobrave Week day 5: loyalty | parallels
> 
> Some similarities between our favorites

Bren Ermendrud is dead. He died along with his parents. 

Veth Brenatto is dead. She died to save her family. 

Two dirty thieves meet in a jail cell. They introduce themselves with fake names and don’t talk about the past. They escape together and decide to stick with each other for there is safety in numbers. 

Nott The Brave is dead. She died in a tub filled with clay. 

Caleb Widogast has not yet died. 

“Bren,” She says, offering a fake name. Caleb’s heart stops in his chest. Does she know? She gives him a shrug in exchange for the look on his face. 

“Caleb Widogast,” He says, offering a name no one knows is fake. Nott looks at him like he hung the stars in the sky. He can never tell her all that he’s done. 

“Widogast’s Web of Fire,” He says, showing off his latest spell. 

“Brenatto’s Voltaic Bolt,” She says, showing off her latest spell. 

Veth Brenatto and Caleb Widogast, Caleb and Nott, best friends, partners in crime; Their lives are far more similar than they’d expected them to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this ones not my best and its also a day late but my dog distracted me yesterday so i think it can be excused this time


	6. Battle | Confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Widobrave Week day 6: battle | confessions
> 
> Verh falls during battle and Caleb lets something slip.

Caduceus is healing Beau. Jester is healing Fjord. Yasha is taking out wolves like they’re made of tissue paper. Caleb is looking for Veth.  _ Ein, zwei, drei, vier, fünf, sechs… _ Where is she? She was just next to him a moment ago. 

A cry of pain pierces the air. A wolf has its jaws clamped around Veth’s middle so deep that Caleb can see the blood pouring out like a waterfall. 

“Veth!” Caleb nearly drops his components to get to her in time. She's hanging limp like a doll and it worries him more than anything. "Jester! Caduceus! She needs help!" He won't get to her in time. His heart freezes solid. 

Beau makes it to Veth before he can and he's never been more grateful for the monk's speed. She and Jester make quick work of the wolf as Yasha, Fjord, and Cad clear the rest. Caleb is no help; standing a mere ten feet away from Veth, frozen in fear. A healing potion rots in his bag as his heart sinks to the bloodied earth. Only after Jester turns to Caduceus with an apologetic and guilty look does he close the gap and rush to Veth's unconscious form. 

"I'm out of spells…" Jester says with sorrow and desperation tumbling from her tongue. 

"Is she breathing?" He sounds much calmer than he is. If he were a little less bitter he might even thank his training for that. Jester nods, her horn jewelry clinking jovially. Caleb doesn't look at Caduceus as he hurries over and pumps healing into the halfing. "Veth, please," Caleb mutters, just audible. Distantly he knows he has a potion on him and that he should have used it, but emotion has paralyzed him yet again.

There's a tense and pregnant pause where everyone seems to be holding their breath. Veth's eyes still don't open, though her midsection stitches itself back together somewhat. 

"That's all I have right now, I'm sorry." Caduceus says distantly. 

Caleb isn't listening but he hears Beau say something about a potion. That's enough to kick his autopilot into gear. With mechanical movements he takes the potion from his hip bag, uncorks it, and presses it to Veth's lips. She's now cradled in his arms with her head on his lap. Almost like they used to sit on watches back when it was just the two of them.

"Veth, please. I love you…" He hears someone else gasp at his words but he can't think of anything but Veth laying still in his arms. There's a long moment where it seems like the spells and potion weren't enough. Caleb's lead heart is sure to be in the center of the planet by now. 

Veth coughs and twists out of Caleb's grip. She coughs for a good while as her body clears its own blood from its airways. There's a cacophony of joy. 

"Veth!" Jester swoops in to hug her as tight as is safe, "You're okay! I'm so sorry I ran out of spells and Caduceus healed you and then Caleb gave you a potion an-"

"You love me?" Veth asks, voice hoarse. Caleb freezes as the Nein look to him.

"Ah, you heard that then…" He looks away, filled to the brim with embarrassment. 

Veth climbs back onto his lap with some effort and grabs his face by the cheeks to force him to look at her. Her eyes are not filled with disgust like he'd assumed. 

"I told you you're the second love of my life didn't I?" She asks playfully before pulling him down into a kiss. Caleb thinks Jester and Beau cheer. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i think this is the one im most proud of


End file.
